1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pick-up style utility vehicle which can expand a cargo bed in a front direction so as to optimize an area or capacity of a cargo bed space or a passenger space according to user demands.
2. Description of the Related Art
At present, utility vehicles of various styles are used. Other than a pick-up style utility vehicle with a relatively large cargo bed behind a seat, there is a straddle-type all terrain vehicle having a handle bar, or the like.
Typically, the pick-up style utility vehicle is more practical than the handle bar type utility vehicle belonging to the straddle-type all terrain vehicle. The pick-up style utility vehicle is used for hunting in fields and mountains, conveyance of lumber, movement in golf courses, golf course maintenance, and the like.
The present applicants have formerly applied the inventions relating to the pick-up style utility vehicle with a cargo bed whose area or capacity can be expanded. Their applications have been filed, which are, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,905,159, 6,994,388, and 7,249,798.
A configuration of the pick-up style utility vehicle disclosed in the respective documents has a front seat including a driver's seat, a rear seat, and a cargo bed in this order from front. The rear seat is changed between a used state and a retracted state to switch between 2 passengers transformation and 4 passengers transformation. In the 2 passengers transformation, a front portion of the cargo bed can be expanded to a riding space occupied by the rear seat in the used state.
FIG. 19 is a left side view in 4 passengers transformation of a pick-up style utility vehicle disclosed in the related art documents. A bench-shaped front seat 81 has a seat leg 811 erected on a floor surface 821 of a cabin 82, a seat bottom 812 provided on the upper end face of the seat leg 811, and a backrest 813 fixed via supporting stays to the seat bottom 812. The bench-shaped front seat 81 is typically extended leftward and rightward to near the left and right ends of the cabin 82, so that two persons can be seated side by side. A driver can be seated on one seating area (left side) and a passenger can be seated on the other seating area. A bench-shaped rear seat 83 has a seat bottom 831 arranged on the upper side of a box 84 housing an engine (not shown) and a backrest 832. Like the front seat 81, the seat bottom 831 and the backrest 832 are extended leftward and rightward to near the left and right ends of the cabin 82, so that two persons can be seated side by side.
The folding configuration of the rear seat 83 will be described in detail. The seat bottom 831 is fixed onto the upper surface of a supporting base 833. The front end of the supporting base 833 is rotatably supported at the front upper end of the box 84 via a hinge 834. A pair of right and left stays 835 extended in a downward direction is fixed onto the backrest 832. The lower end of each of the stays 835 is rotatably coupled to the rear end of the seat bottom 831 via a hinge 836.
FIG. 20 is a left side view in 2 passengers transformation of a pick-up style utility vehicle disclosed in the related art documents. The backrest 832 is rotated about the hinge 836 so as to be brought into contact with the upper surface of the seat bottom 831. The seat bottom 831 is then rotated about the hinge 834 together with the backrest 832 so as to be substantially vertical. The rear seat 83 is folded in the retracted state. The rear seat 83 is folded and retracted to use a rear portion riding space P1 as the forward expanded space of a cargo bed 85.
The cargo bed 85 has, as a basic configuration, a stationary bottom plate 851, a pair of stationary side panels 852 provided substantially perpendicular to the stationary bottom plate 851 along the left and right ends of the stationary bottom plate 851, an openable and closeable gate type rear panel 853 provided at the rear end of the stationary bottom plate 851, and a front panel 854 position adjustable forward and rearward. In addition to these members, as shown in FIG. 20, the cargo bed 85 has a pair of left and right expandable side panels 855 to expand the cargo bed 9 forward.
When the pick-up style utility vehicle of the related art is changed from 4 passengers transformation to 2 passengers transformation to expand the cargo bed 85, the rear seat 83 is folded and retracted. The expanding space of the cargo bed 85 is reduced by the thickness of the rear seat 83.
In addition, the expandable side panels 855 of the cargo bed 85 are additionally necessary to expand the cargo bed 85.